Chapter 5 The Mirror

Sorry for the delay. I got a little caught up in writing New Moon and neglected this one. But I just got back into it, and am as excited as ever. This chapter I am particularly proud of, especially near the end.

Darth Vader did not dare turn back as the mighty beast charged after him, its red eyes flaring as its mighty arms, glowing with the flame of Udûn bore down upon him. Drawing away from the demon Vader ducked into the shadows of the mine where the beast lost him. But it was not finished.

Roaring angrily, its throat lighting up with fire the beast began rampaging through the ancient caverns of Moria, destroying everything in its path. Stormtroopers feebly opened fire upon the great beast before they were crushed under its mighty footsteps. Wielding both its sword and its fire whip it tore the cavern to pieces, sending stormtroopers flying through the air. Over the din Niem shouted.

"Retreat!" he commanded. "Back out of the caves! We must flee!"

Making their way up from the mine they rushed to the entrance to escape.

"We're free," Niem said, as he stepped out from the blasted open doors of the great Mine. Then a dark arrow flew out of the darkness and pierced Niem's heart, sending him sprawling to the floor. The Goblin archers then opened fire on the Stormtroopers, catching them off guard and slaughtering about half of Niem's forces before disappearing into the darkness. Darth Vader then marched out behind them.

"Go!" he commanded. "We must leave this place. Head back towards the East, away from the Mountains."

Admiral Dugal and his forces marched out behind Vader.

"Niem is dead," Vader said. "You are now in command of his forces Dugal."

Dugal saluted.

"Continue the campaign into the East," Vader said.

"Where is he heading now?" Sauron asked.

"East," General Agravas said. "Towards Lothlorien."

"Have the Orcs reburied the Balrog?" Sauron asked.

"Yes," General Agravas confirmed. "The Flame of Udûn will not rise again unless you reawaken it."

"Let him take Lothlorien," Sauron said. "I have a plan, but I must be given time to think."

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"What's happening?" John asked, as Verana lead him quickly towards the west side of Lothlorien.

"I don't know," Verana said. "We're being attacked by a powerful army that will overrun our..."

"Hands up!"

They stopped, and found themselves facing a group of nine stormtroopers, every blaster trained on Verana. Slowly, ever so slowly she raised her hands in the air.

"Turn around," the Stormtrooper commanded, and Verana did.

Then suddenly, he wacked her on the back of the head with his gun, sending her sprawling to the ground.

"No!" John shot forward, but a Stormtrooper stepped in his path.

John, ready to fight, waited for the Stormtrooper to make the first move. The Stormtrooper eyed him silently.

"Good job," he suddenly said, causing John to look at him strangely. "You managed to get us a hostage. What is your operating number?"

John looked down at Verana, who was looking up at him from the ground, her eyes filling with tears.

"ST-115..." John said quietly, feeling Verana's eyes, filled with doub, feeling betrayed.

"Get this man a uniform," the Stormtrooper said. "Suit up soldier, you're back on the core."

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Galadriel stepped out onto her balconey to see a mighty robotic beast standing below, guarding the entrance with an entire legion of Stormtroopers guarding the entrance, looking like Ants below the mighty AT-ST. Sensing a presence, she whirled around to find a tall dark figure standing in the shadows of her room. Sharp, metallic breathing issued from within the armored man.

"Lord Vader..." she said fearfully. "I have heard much about you..."

"And you must be Galadriel," the dark figure replied. "Lady of the Galadhrim. I have heard much about you. From interrogating some of your soldiers-"

"Why are you doing this?" Galadriel interrupted him. "Sauron has ravaged our continent for long enough, and then you come and in a single stroke you take the lands of Middle Earth as your own."

"Why am I doing this?" Vader activated his lightsaber, and held it, shimmering in the darkness. "You do not understand me Galadriel. You do not understand what is behind my mask. You are a lady of great beauty, a beauty which I have not seen since... Nevermind. But I am a man of a scarred face. I want the One Ring of Power. What do you know of it?"

"I know enough to know that you will never get it," Galadriel said, rising to her full height so that she stood almost as tall as the Sith Lord. "And even if you do get it you will never be able to control-"

Darth Vader smacked her, sending her sprawling backwards onto her bed.

"Foolish she-elf," Vader chuckled quietly. "I will get that ring if I have to pry it from out of Sauron's dead fingers."

"The Ring's power is too great for you to control," Galadriel challenged.

"Don't be too proud of this trinket your friend the Dark Lord carries," Vader said. "The ability to covet a planet in darkness are weak against the powers of the Force."

Galadriel sat up, unafraid of the masked man before her.

"So then there is no way that I can convince you to give up this quest and return to the world from which you came?"

Vader only nodded.

"Then let me at least show you something first," she smiled slightly.

Darth Vader searched her mind, but found no trace of deceit. Galadriel's watched him as he thought about this, her deep haunting eyes that seemed to speak to him of an age long gone. Without him even saying anything the elf maiden knew the answer.

"Follow me Lord," she slowly rose up from the bed and turned for the door.

Obediently Vader followed her. She lead him into an open courtyard, guarded by stone statues and several Stormtroopers. With a wave of his hand Vader dismissed all of them. Galadriel walked to a small pool of water and dipped a large silver pitcher into it. Then, she turned to a large stone bowl and poured the water into it.

"Look into the mirror," Galadriel said, turning once again to Vader.

The Sith Lord stood their, suspiciously he glanced at the stone bowl.

"This is no trick," Galadriel said, and there was no deceit in her words.

"What makes this mirror so special?" Vader asked. "What will I see in it that is different?"

"I do not know," Galadriel confessed. "Sometimes you may see what is, what has been, and sometimes what has not yet come to pass."

Vader extinguished his lightsaber and walked up to the mirror, placing both hands on the side of the bowl and gazing down into the water. Slowly everything came into focus.

He saw a man, struggling to walk forward, as pain wracked through his body. Searing heat filled the sky, erupting out like lava, enveloping the man. It was as if he walked through hell! Vader drew back. The man's face was scarred and cut, misshapen and broken by years and years of horrors. He held his hand out in front of him as he screamed as his fingers caught fire. Images flashed through his mind. Images of a beautiful brown haired girl. Vader's heart sank within him. Padme. The images kept coming, showing her suffering and then showing her lying dead. Vader and the man shouted in a rage that they both shared. Then an image of Galadriel flashed by. Then, the sky lurched, and the man fell forward, gasping and convulsing against the ground. The man's face rose from the ground and he gazed off into the distance and saw a mighty eye, shrouded in flame watching him.

'I see you!'

He screamed once, and then screamed again. He could not stop screaming. Vader screamed as well as dark shadows stepped out of the flame and slowly began to tear the broken man apart, cutting him with cruel blades of fire that seared his soul and broke through flesh and bone. The man screamed, Vader screamed. The broken soul fell to pieces as the body disintegrated under the fire. All went black.

Inhale... Exhale... Inhale... Exhale...

Vader's vision slowly cleared and he found himself lying on his back in the courtyard. Standing over him was Galadriel.

"I know what you saw," she said calmly, too calmly. "I can sense your thoughts. The man you saw is you, or what you will become if you get the ring. Broken by its unspeakable power, tormented and weakened by the evil which is not yours. And then, the shadows come and tear you to pieces."

Vader just lay there silently.

'You will have your chance to take the ring,' Vader looked up, startled as she spoke telepathically with him. 'You will have to make a great choice. A choice to save the world, or to die along with it under the power of the Ring. I know of what you are thinking. You are strong enough to control it.'

Galadriel's expression saddened.

'As much as I want to, I do not hate you Vader.'

Vader's eyes widened behind his face mask.

'I somehow wish I could hate you, but my compassion for who you are won't allow me to. You are not like Sauron. Sauron is all together evil, and his Ring is too. Take your armies, and leave this place while you still have a chance. For even thought you think there is no love, no good left within you, your heart cries out for love. Yes, I can feel it. Sauron worships evil, and only good can defeat evil. Believe me, when he gets his chance he will destroy you.'

Vader rose to his feet.

"Stop it," he demanded. "No one tells me what to do. I will take what I desire, and I will have the One Ring of Power. And you will help me get it."

Galadriel's face filled with sorrow.

"Then that is your choice."

Vader nodded to two Stormtroopers, who reentered the courtyard. They each grabbed one of Galadriel's arms and began leading her away.

"You are far too trusting Galadriel," Vader said. "You have too much compassion for that which does not exist anymore. But that does not matter. You are my prisoner now."

"Just one last thing," Galadriel said. "Do you know what the shadows were?"

Vader looked up.

'The Nazgûl are unaffected by the Dark Side of the Force. For they are themselves darkness, so whatever dark power you wield against them will only make them stronger.'

"Why do you tell me these things elf?" Vader demanded. "Why do you bother giving me, your enemy, advice."

Her strong eyes met his, causing him to shrink back slightly at the intensity of them.

"Because I don't want Sauron to win," she murmured. "But neither do I want Dugal to."

The Stormtroopers dragged her away. Vader stood there silently, contemplating what she had just said.

She doesn't want Sauron to win, so maybe she's saying she wants me to win. But why? But if she doesn't want Dugal, my Admiral, to win, then doesn't that mean she doesn't want me to win? Oh...

Vader straightened up.

She doesn't want either of us to win. That must be it.

Darth Vader closed his eyes, and remembered the dream. He remembered seeing Padme's face. Pain shot up within him as he tried to push the image away. And then Galadriel's face appeared. He had felt a gaze like hers before, and it had been Padme's. Repressing the memories, Darth Vader paced out of the courtyard. Lothlorien was his.